Cloth-cutting device.



S. HARDY.

GLOTH CUTTING DEVICE. APPLICATION IILBD SEPT. 7, 1911.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH can WASHINGTON. u. c.

S. HARDY.

CLOTH CUTTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7, 1911.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

4 SHBETSSHEET 2.

S. HARDY.

CLOTH CUTTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7, 1911.

. 1 046 783. Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

S. HARDY.

CLOTH CUTTING DEVICE.

APPLIO-ATIONA FILED SEPT. 7, 1911.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

4 SHEETSSHBET 4.

COLUMDIA'PLANOGRAPH co.,

STANLEY HARDY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CLOTH-CUTTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 7, 1911.

Patented Dec. 10,1912.

Serial No. 648,061.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STANLEY HARDY, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Cloth-Cutting Devices, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in clothcutting devices, and is particularly adapted for use in connection withthe cloth carrying machine for which I obtained Letters Patent No.986,822, on March 14, 1911.

The objects of the invention are to provide an improved and simplifieddevice for cutting cloth, particularly duck used in the making ofawnings, tents and the like; to provide means foreifecting the cuttingaction quickly, easily, and positively, and to provide means forpositively clamping the cloth during the cutting thereof.

In the drawings, Figurel, is a top plan view-of the invention, Fig. 2,is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3, is an endelevation, Fig. 4, is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, Fig. 5is a detail perspective view of the cloth clamp, Fig. 6, is a detailperspective view of the apron, Fig. 7, is a detail perspective view ofthe knife holder, Fig. 8, is a detail perspective view of the knife, andFig. 9, is a detail perspective view of the guide for the knife holder.

The apron, designated 33 to agree with the designation of thecorresponding element in the aforementioned patent, is supported in aninclined position,'by means of a frame 32 that is carried by theangle-irons 2, which latter are secured to the main frame of themachine.

A tubular guide 1 is formed with a longitudinal slot 3 and is supportedby vertical angle-irons 4 above and longitudinally of the apron 33, theupper ends of the angleirons 4, being arc-shaped to receive the tube 1,which latter is fastened thereto by means of screws 5.

The knife 6 is provided with a curved cutting edge 7 and its upper endis formed with a flange 8, which extends outwardly on opposite sidesthereof and isreceived in a T-shaped slot 9, formed in the enlargedlower end 10 of the knife holder 11, and is firmly held there by one ormore set screws 15. The knife holder is provided with a the bore of thetubular guide 1, and has a web 13, which connects the enlarged lower end10 to the head 12 and projects through the slot 3 of the tubularguide 1. The apron 33 is formed with a slot or groove 14 which extendssubstantially parallel to the slot 3 of the tubular guide 1, in order topermit the knife 6 to travel therethrough, the cutting edge of the knifecooperating with a plate 16, which is countersunk and secured in theapron 33, in order that a shearing action between the knife or cutterand the plate 16 will be effected. The tubular guide 1 is located at asufiicient distance above the apron 33 to allow several thicknesses ofcloth to pass across the apron beneath said guide.

A cord, rope, or cable 17 is fastened to one end of the knife holder 11,and passes under a pulley 18 that is mounted on a pin 19, which iscarried by a small section of tubing 20, the latter being secured in theouter end of the guide 1, as clearly depicted in Fig. 3 of the drawings.The flexible element 17 passes up over a pulley 20, which may beattached to the ceiling or other suitable support, and has a hand grip21 at its lower end to permit of manual manipulation thereof. Theopposite end of the knife holder has one end of a coil spring 22 securedthereto, the spring being located on the interior of the tubular guide 1and having its opposite end secured to the rear end of the guide 1 bymeans of a pin 23, which is attached to said guide, as shown in Figs. 1and 2 of the drawings.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that, when the hand grip 21 isdrawn downwardly, the knife 6 and its holder will be moved through theguide 1, with the result that the coil spring 22 is extended, and uponrelease of the hand grip 21 the contraction of the spring 22 willautomatically restore the knife and its holder to normal position,illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

For the purpose of holding the cloth flat on the apron during thecutting thereof, a clamp 24 is employed, same being shown in detail inFig. 5. The cloth clamp is of approximately inverted U-shape andstraddles the guide 1, being vertically movable with respect thereto.The lower ends of the cloth clamp are turned outwardly to formpresserfeet 25, which exert pressure upon the cylindrical head 12 whichis slidably fitted in cloth 26 when the cloth clamp is operated in amanner now to be described. The end of the cloth clamp opposite to theend thereof, which bears the presser-feet 25, is formed with a pair ofextensions 35, which are bent outwardly and attached to opposite sidesof a. hand lever-27 that is pivoted at 28 to an angle-iron 4 adjacentone side of the main frame of the machine. 7 A bowed leaf spring 29 hasone end thereof attached, as at 30', to the tubular guide 1, and has itscentral portion extending through the interior of the cloth-clamp 24 andits free end bearing on the guide 1 on the opposite side of theclothclamp, for the purpose of normally sustaining the cloth clamp inupper position with its presser-feet 25 out of engagement with thecloth. A plate 31, which is riveted or otherwise secured to anangle-iron 4 adjacent the other side of the main frame of the ma chine,has an end thereof bent outwardly to hold the hand lever 27 in adepressed position when said lever is lowered to clamp the cloth uponthe apron 33. i

The parts normally occupy the position depicted in Fig. 2, being held insuch positions by the springs 22 and 29. vThen it is desired to cut apiece or pieces of cloth the hand lever 27 is depressed and hooked underthe projecting end of plate 31, thereby lowering the cloth clamp 24until the presserfeet 25 thereof clamp the piece or pieces of cloth uponthe apron 33' and on opposite sides of the knife. While the hand leveris held in its depressed position either by hand or by the plate 31, thehand grip 21 is pulled downwardly causing the flexible member 17 to pullthe knife holder to the left of Fig. 2, with the result that the blade 6travels through the slot 14, thereby cutting the piece or pieces ofcloth on the apron 33, after which the hand lever and hand grip arereleased, permitting the springs to return or restore the parts toinitial position.

It will be understood that instead of manually pulling the flexiblemember 17 the same may be operated by any suitable power driven device.

What is claimed is 1.- In a cloth cutting device, in combination with aguide and a cutter movable therealong, a cloth clamp straddling theguide and having presser-feet arranged on opposite sides of said guide,and means to actuate said clamp.

2. In a cloth cutting device, in combination with a guide and a cuttermovable therealong, a cloth clamp straddling the guide and havingpresser-feet arranged on opposite sides of said guide, a spring arrangedbetween the guide and clamp to normally forcethe latter upwardly, andmeans to move said clamp downwardlyagainst the action of said spring.

clamp.

ing its ends turned outwardly to form presser-feet, and means to actuatesaid 4. In a cloth cutting device, in combination with a guide and acutter movable therealong, an inverted U-shape cloth clamp slidablymounted over said guide and having its ends turned outwardly to formresser-feet, a spring interposed between the guide and clamp to normallyforce the latter upwardly, and means to depress the clamp against theaction of said spring.

5. In a cloth cutting device, in combinationwith an apron having alongitudinal slot, a longitudinally slotted tubular guide located abovesaid apron to have its slot aline with that of the apron, a cutterhaving its cutting edge extending in said slot of the apron and having apart thereof extending through said slot of said guide and slidablymounted on the interior of said tubular guide, and means to actuate saidcutter;

6. In a cloth cutting device, in combina tion with cutting means, springpressed clamping meansrelatively stationary thereto to clamp the clothduring the cutting thereof.

7 In a cloth cutting device, in combination with cutting means, unitarymeans en-. gaging the cloth on opposite sides of said cutting meansrelativelystationary thereto to clamp the cloth during the cuttingthereof.

8. In a cloth cutting device, in combination with an apron and a cuttingmechanism cooperatively associated therewith, spring pressed clothclamping means slidably supported by said cutting mechanism and beingrelatively stationary thereto during the operation of the cutter, andmeans to actuate said clamping means to clamp the cloth between the sameand the apron.

9. In a cloth cutting device, in combination with a cloth supportingelement, a tubular guide located thereabove, cutting means slidablycarried on the interior of the guide and projecting without the same 115to cut the cloth on said element, and cloth clamping means borne by saidguide and movable toward and away from said cloth supporting element. 1f

10. In a cloth cutting device, in combina 120 tion with a guide having acutter, a cloth clamp consisting of an inverted U-shaped memberstraddling the guide and having its extremities at one end thereofturned outwardly to form presser-feet and havingits 125 extremities atthe opposite endthereof bent outwardly fromone another, a pivoted mem-'ber. secured between said last-named ex- I l tremities for loweringsaid member,and' a. 3. Inj a clothcutting device, 1n cOmbina bowed leafspring interposed. between the guide and the closed end of the U-shapedmember.

11. In a cloth cutting device, in combination with cutting means,unitary means engaging the cloth on opposite sides of said cutting meansrelatively stationary thereto to clamp the cloth during the cuttingthereof, and a pivoted member for actuating said clamping means.

12. In a cloth cutting device, in combination with cutting means,unitary means engaging the cloth on opposite sides of said cutting meansrelatively stationary thereto to clamp the cloth during the cuttingthereof, a pivoted member for actuating said clamping means, and a latchfor holding said pivoted member in a depressed position.

13. In a cloth cutting device, in combination with a slotted clothsupporting element, a tubular slotted guide located thereabove, a headslidably arranged in said tubular guide and having a knife securedthereto which projects through said slot of the guide and into said slotof the cloth supporting element, and means to operate said head.

14. In a cloth cutting device, in combination with a cloth supportingelement, a tu bular slotted guide located thereabove, a head slidablyarranged in said tubular guide and having a web which extends throughthe slot thereof, the outer end of said web being enlarged and formedwith a slot of T-shape in cross-section, a knife having a flange whichextends outwardly on opposite sides Copies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of thereofreceived in said T-shaped slot, and means to actuate the head.

15. In a cloth cutting device, in combina tion with a frame having aguide and a cutter movable therealong, a cloth clamp arranged to have apart thereof overlie said guide, a spring disposed in the space betweensaid guide and said part of the cloth clamp, and means to move saidclamp downwardly against the action of said spring.

16. In combination with a supporting element, a guide located above saidelement, a cutter carried by the guide for cooperation with said elementto cut the material, means to automatically restore the cutter toinitial position upon completion of its cutting movement, and means tooperate said cutter including a cable connected to the cutter and anoverhead roller, the cable passing up over the roller and then extendingvertically downward therefrom.

17 In a cloth cut-ting device, the combination of an apron having alongitudinal slot, a cutter movable through said slot, and meansengaging the cloth on opposite sides of said slot to clamp the clothduring the cutting thereof.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

STANLEY HARDY.

Witnesses:

Lo'rrrn M. Fox, BERTHA VON BEHRENS.

Patents,

Washington, D. G.

